i heard bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. >> health club horror. a deadly shooting spree during an exercise class near pittsburgh. pledge and protest. iran's president sworn in in the face of demonstrations. and home ward bound. former president bill clinton wins the release of two journal frifts north korea. >> i'm so happy. i'm so excited. i have not slept for three days now. this is the cbs "morning

news" for wednesday august 5th, 2009. captioning funded by cbs good morning, thanks for joining us. this morning, police in suburban pittsburgh are determining what caused a man to walk into an exercise club and begin shooting. four people are dead and nine wounded. he opened fire in a health club in a strip mall southwest of pittsburgh. we have the story. the l.a. fitness center was packed with as many as 70 people when the trouble began. >> it sounded like someone was hitting a rack et ball. just echoing really loud in that room. everybody ditched and ran as fast as they could. that's all i heard. bang, bang, bang. >> reporter: witnesses say the gunman casually walked into the gym dressed in exercise clothes, strolled to the back of an aerobics class, took out two

guns and opened fire. >> he did not say anything. he walked right to the rooms where the shootings occurred as if he knew exactly where he was going and pulled the guns out and started shooting. >> reporter: there was chaos. those who could, ran. >> everybody was running out of the men's locker room. i seen a girl laying down right outside the locker room. me and a couple of other guys carried her over here. she was laying down. >> reporter: two women died at the scene. another died at the hospital. the gunman apparently took his own life. law enforcement officials don't have a motive. one man helped a victim who said she knew the shooter. >> the woman told me, he's going to kill me. he's my ex-boyfriend. he's going to kill me. >> reporter: it will take a while to identify the victims. >> as you can imagine, in a fitness club, they don't have i.d.s on them. people are not there that know them. we're having trouble identifying some of the people. >> reporter: this morning,

authorities have more questions than answers. >> two american journalists held by north korea since march will be reunited with their families this morning in california. their release was negotiated by former president clinton, who at the same time, may have opened up a dialogue with the reclusive north korean government. elizabeth sanchez is in burbank this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, ross. an emotional reunion is expected to take place here at bob hope airport at 5:00 a.m. local time. the two american journalists looked healthy as they boarded a plane yesterday and have anxiously waited for this day to arrive. the families of euna lee and laura ling are counting down the seconds until the happy homecoming. >> words cannot express my happiness, excitement. >> it's been 140 days. and so, you know, obviously are overjoyed she's going to be back. >> reporter: after being held for months, lee and ling boarded

a private jet with former president bill clinton tuesday night. they left north yea less than two hours after he met with the country's leader. clinton and the two women are just hours away from setting foot on american soil. they'll touch down he were at bob hope airport. their safe arrival will mark the joyous ending to a four-month ordeal. lee and ling were arrested along the north korea/china border back in march while working for al gore's current tv. they were sentenced in june to 12 years of hard labor, a fate the families are relieved has been avoided. >> i have to remind every minute i have to be strong for her. that's what keeps me going, for this day. waiting for this day that's coming. yeah. i'm so glad it's here. >> reporter: and it's clear the reporters' relatives and friends aren't the only ones. euna lee and laura ling are also said to be extremely excited to

be returning home. the hangar here at the airport right now is closed. but it is expected to be open. we should be allowed to go in. former vice president al gore, also founder of current tv, is also expected to be here to greet the women. reporting live from burbank, elizabeth sanchez, cbs news. >> elizabeth, thank you. mahmoud ahmadinejad was sworn in for a second time as president of iran this morning. after taking the oath of office, he denounced foreign interference in iranian asdparz urged unity among the iranian people. the ceremony was boycotted by opposition leaders who claim mahmoud ahmadinejad stole the election. at least 30 people have been killed during a series of demonstrations to protest that election and another protest was called for today. on the "cbs moneywatch," stocks in asia lost ground this morning. claire leka is in new york with

more. good morning. >> good morning. asian stocks turned lower overnight. foreign investors are waiting for more clues about the strength of the economic recovery in the u.s. japan's benchmark nikkei slipped 1.25%. hong kong stocks fell 1.5%. on wall street, stocks begin the day at nine-month highs. the dow jones starts the day up 33 points. the nasdaq begins with a gain of nearly three points. it's a busy day on the economic front. the july reading on private sector employment from payroll services firm adp is due in the morning. employers are expected to have cut 340,000 jobs from their pay rolls. key reports on the service sector and factory orders are also due. meanwhile, you still have time to clunk your car into labor day. democratic leaders say the senate will join the house into pumping more money into the cash for clunkers program.

so far the government says 157,000 people have taken advantage of it, at a cost of taxpayers, $664 million. the administration has released a list of the top ten vehicles purchased under the popular program. all but one are either hatchbacks or sedans. while the top ten clunker trade-ins are all-american-made trucks and suvs like the ford explorer, ford f-150 and jeep grand cheer krokee. this is dramatic video of a police raid in south korea this morning. police commando descending from a shipping container carried by a helicopter, they stormed the south korean auto plant where hundreds of fired autoworkers have held out in a battle with management for two months. police have been trying to end the stand-offs that threat eped

south korea's fifth largest automaker with insolvency. after eight seasons, paula abdul is walking away from "american idol." she said she is leading after not being able to come to terms over a new contract. she reportedly rejected an eight-figure deal from fox that represented a 30% raise. ross? >> claire leka here in new york, thank you. just ahead on the "morning news," severe flash flooding in kentucky and in indiana. plus, run for the hills. wildfire season let's up across the country. first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's cbs evening news. >> a new study raises serious questions about a costly back procedure. is it really worth it or could it leave you feeling worse? that's tonight only on the cbs evening news. all prescription nsaid pain relievers, like celebrex, ibuprofen and naproxen, help treat arthritis pain and have some of the same warnings.

but since individual results may vary, having options is important. prescription celebrex has been the option for millions of patients for 10 straight years. just one 200-mg celebrex (once a day,) can provide dependable, 24-hour relief for many with arthritis pain, stiffness and inflammation. based on the available data, the fda stated that for certain patients celebrex's benefits outweigh the risks. if you are worried about stomach upset, you should know, in clinical studies, a lower percentage of patients taking celebrex reported stomach discomfort versus prescription ibuprofen and naproxen. and if you are taking low-dose aspirin for your heart and need an nsaid pain reliever, celebrex can be used because it doesn't interfere with the effects of low-dose aspirin. but when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. the fda requires all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam, to have the same cardiovascular warning.

they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors for it such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, also increase the chance of serious skin reactions or stomach and intestine problems, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you're allergic to aspirin or sulfonamides. ask your doctor if you could benefit from celebrex. understand the risks. feel the benefits. lightning, high winds and heavy rain pounded much of the

midwest, causing widespread flooding and damage from downed trees yesterday. many motorists were trapped by rapidly rising waters in the indianapolis area. drenching rain also caused flooding near louisville, kentucky, where rescuers came to the aid of stranded drivers and rescued older frechbresidents f their homes. in michigan, north of detroit, firefighters had their hands fuel at a burning fuel storage facility. intense flames billowed from 50-gallon oil drums. at least two firefighters were injured. residents within two miles of the raging fire were ordered to evacuate. wildfires continue to erupt over the bone dry west. among the many fires yesterday, a fast-moving range fire near boise, idaho where firefighters managed to protect several hills. a fire in glendale, california

was the work of an arsonist. in vancouver, washington, another friday. new york city police say blood tests show the woman who caused a crash that killed eight people last month was drinking and smoking marijuana while driving a vanful of children. she drove the wrong way down a highway northwest of new york city. she died in the crash along with her two-year-old daughter, three nieces and three men from the suv she hit head-on. straight ahead, your wednesday morning weather. in sports, is this the longest bunt ever? he does the little things right for the white sox. announcer: kids who don't eat breakfast aren't getting the nutrition they need - to keep their bodies strong. - ( school bell rings ) - hey, jessica. - hey, billy. announcer: a nutritious start to the day is essential.

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here's a look at the weather in some cities across the country. new york, late day thunder, 88 degrees. miami, partly cloudy, 93. chicago, sunny at 88. denver, condition of storms, 89. l.a., sunny, 82. time for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows skies are still gray over the tennessee and ohio valleys after yesterday's record rain from indianapolis to louisville. most of the south is waking to a nice clear morning. later today, thunderstorms will extend from the tennessee valley to the northeast coastline where it should remain stormy into the

night. the great lakes and midwest will see a pleasant afternoon. late day storms are likely around the rockies. and the west coast will be dry. but it may become stormy by tomorrow afternoon. in sports, we have a near no-hitter in pittsburgh. for seven innings, arizona gave the pirates nothing. finally, they broke up the no-hitter. pittsburgh's only hit of the game in a 6-0, diamondbacks win. in new york, st. louis came back from three runs behind, forcing the mets to go extra innings. then the cardinals scored five runs in the tenth. albert pujols hit his fifth grand slam of the season. this swinging bunt turned into a double. he would score the tying double. then in the b 7th, he drove in

the final run. final score, 5-4. evan longoria's solo home run tied. this game would go 13 innings until he struck again to given the rays a 4-2 victory. when we return, more on the two american journalists heading home after being held in north korea. hat i need to control my diabetes, to stay healthy - and get on with my life. it comes from liberty medical. and now, it's not only where i get my diabetes testing supplies - but it's where i get my prescription drugs as well. see if you're on medicare, the cost of your dietes testing supplies as well as your prescription drugs may be covered. liberty takes care of all the paperwork with medicare and sends the prescription forms directly to your doctor for approval.

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on the cbs "morning news," here's a look at today's weather. thunderstorms will develop from the tennessee valley to the northeast coastline. the south remains hot and dry. storms will be scattered around the rockies. as we reported earlier, a lone gunman walked into a suburban pittsburgh health club and opened fire.

four people, including the gunman are now dead. police are still trying to figure out the motive. allison morris of our pittsburgh station reports. >> reporter: police left the scene here at the l.a. fitness at collier township in the early morning hours today. they have been investigating a shooting that took place shortly after 8:00 on tuesday. they say a man walked into an aerobics classroom where more than 20 people were taking a class and opened fire. >> as i was laying on the floor, i started calling 911. i had the officer on the line. and he's like, ma'am, i can't hear you. i'm just like, please, we're at l.a. fitness. these a guy shooting. >> reporter: trainers figured out it was a gunman. another trainer came and said, there's an exit this way. people were running. we didn't even know how to get out. >> reporter: dozens of gymgoers poured into the parking lot of

l.a. fitness outside of pittsburgh tuesday night, after police say a gunman walked into an aerobics center, turned off the lights and opened fire, killing three women before he turned the gun on himself. >> there's four deceased, including the probably shooter and nine with serious gunshot wounds, ranging from being treated and released at the hospital to critical condition. >> reporter: richard walker was playing basketball when he heard the shots fired and believed he may have carried out the woman the gunman was after. >> the woman told me, he's going to kill me. she got shot in the leg. she couldn't talk much. she was out of it. we put pressure on her leg but she kept fading. she kept saying over and over, he's going to kill me. >> reporter: several police sources say they believe the gunman was looking for an ex-girlfriend that recently broke up with him. they have yet to identify anyone involved. they did break into this nissan

altima and retrieve a red duffle bag. police say the gunman was a member at l.a. fitness and walked into the club carrying a gym bag with more than one gun inside. they do believe the handguns were legally his. they also say there was a note in the gym bag, though they have yet to disclose any of its contents. >> now for the latest on the release of those two american journalists from north korea. here's our l.a. station, kcbs. >> reporter: the hopes of parents, prayers of friends and family. >> we've been waiting for this day for over 140 days. >> reporter: are all coming together tonight. >> i'm looking forward to see her. >> reporter: because laura ling and euna lee are free. >> i'm so glad she's here and it is happening. >> reporter: they boarded a plane earlier this evening with former president bill clinton on

the way to burbank from north korea. >> i'm so happy. i'm so excited. i have not slept for three days now. >> reporter: in march, lee and ling were arrested for crossing the border into north korea illegally. the journalists were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor. >> i have to remind myself every day, every minute, i have to be strong for her. and that's what keeps me going. >> reporter: north korean president kim jong-il pardoned the juniorisournalists with for president bill clinton. >> laura gave us a clear message that president clinton got them released. >> reporter: according to news reports, mr. clinton apologized and discussed other issues with mr. kim. many hope the meeting will help improve ties between the u.s. and north korea. for now family members are anxious for a long-awaited

reunion. >> i can't wait. >> minutes, hours. >> reporter: lee and ling are expected to arrive here at bob hope airport sometime at 5:00 this morning. laura ling's mother says she cannot wait to hold her daughter in her arms once again. >> this morning on the early show, the latest on the deadly shooting at the health club in pittsburgh. [sluuurrrrpppp!] irresistible. now try new watermelon and cantaloupe flavors. from post party sickness syndrome? there's a revolutionary cure. it's called cascade all-in-one actionpacs. and it's like adding the ultimate button to your dishwasher. because it has the power to pre-wash... dissolve... and rinse the whole mess away. so in the morning your dishes will feel like new again.

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it is a beautiful moon getting that distortion as it sets in the western sky. we have showers sitting just

out to our north and west, very much right there on the leading edge of that cold front. that's going to define your afternoon weather. we're going to talk about that here coming up shortly, don. in the news this morning, another deadly shooting rampage. a man opens fire inside a western pennsylvania health club killing several people and then himself. this morning the latest on the investigation as police search for a motive. preparing for an outbreak. school is set to start across the country, but with no vaccine ready for the swine flu, some fear a big outbreak is likely. how maryland is preparing. and heading to the big screen. who's working to turn footage of michael jackson's final rehearsal into a full-length motion picture. more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning in a couple of minutes.